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Between the Aisles: The Vending Machine Evolves

Here’s what you’ve might have missed in the last week or so:

Inside of the Grocery Mind of Amazon Leadership

Recode’s Jason Del Rey shares a revealing interview with Stephenie Landry, Amazon’s VP of Grocery. Learn how they handled their pandemic-powered growth. How Whole Foods challenges its omnichannel offerings. And their smart shopping cart that enables Amazon Go stores. Be sure to stay for the Q&A at the end.

My Take: The media might focus on Amazon’s technology advances. Landry reinforced their drive for consistency and quality of their delivery experience. Amazon’s drive for perfection is foolishly overlooked by most grocers.

The Vending Machine Evolves

Amazon isn’t the only company to corner checkout-free commerce. Those ugly glass food coffins have found their end. SF-based Standard partnered with the University of Houston to create Market Next. This micro convenience store offering the usual beverages, snacks, and sandwiches. The integrated app and a set of cameras will end your fear of wrinkled dollar rejections.

My Take: These white-labeled technologies put vending machines and corner bodegas on notice. I can’t wait for the startup that masters the beer, spirits, and wine retail space.

How Packaging Birthed Modern Grocery

I’m a big fan of Benjamin Lorr’s new book: The Secret Life of Groceries. If you want a taste of his storytelling savvy, check out the interview on Marketplace.

My Take: The evolution of an industry is always multifaceted. If books like the one above garner your attention, read The Box. This page-turner retells the evolution and impact of the humble shipping container.

Between the Aisles is a weekly quick read on relevant grocery and other retail industry news.

Between the Aisles: Farmstead Goes White

Here’s what you’ve might have missed in the last week or so:

Walmart Goes QR

Customers at 70 Sam’s Club locations will speed their time at the gas pump. With Scan & Go Fuel, customers won’t have to dig for their membership card. Users scan a QR code and select a payment method to activate the pump. They added Scan & Go four years in-store and expects to complete the rollout to 518 stores by yearend.

My Take: QR codes are a tired technology and often leveraged as a solution looking for a problem. That said, extending this feature to the pump might drive more adoption in-store.

 

Hardware Goes High Fashion

Lowe’s provided furnishings for virtual shows during New York Fashion Week. Three designers got free flooring and furnishings. The retailer also streamed their events streamed on its Twitter account. Result: Lowe’s scored a bulk of the social media mentions.

My Take: Beware of who you partner with as a brand. And I do hope these designers got a cut of Lowe’s online sales.

 

Farmstead Goes White

Local grocery startup Farmstead will white label their platform for US-base retailers. Rebranded as Grocery OS, their platform will manage inventory, orders, and delivery logistics. And they claim “National two-hour delivery.”

My Take: Developing internal technology and implementing externally are two very different tasks. This is especially true when your customers are tech laggards. And as a current Farmstead customer, I still can’t get groceries from them within two hours.

Between the Aisles is a weekly quick read on relevant grocery and other retail industry news.

3FER: Strange Mobile Bedfellows

Beacons leading the blind

Our growing mobile habits have created strange bedfellows recently. They’re tracking our whereabouts. Hoping we kick our card swiping habits. And bringing dating to business. It’s been an odd few weeks.

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#1: Beacons applied.

After three years of buzz, these Bluetooth low energy devices are starting to meet their promise. Big box and even small retailers have installed them for in-store engagement. Airports are using them to guide the visually impaired. And they’re even comping free sodas to moviegoers as they enter theaters. Here is a small taste of them in action:

Target Launches Beacon Test In 50 Stores, Will Expand Nationwide Later This Year (TechCrunch)

99 Ranch Market uncarts beacon-powered WeChat game for shoppers (Mobile Commerce Daily)

Indoor mapping lets the blind navigate airports (Smithsonian)

Coca-Cola has taken a step closer to using beacons to turn location-based marketing on its head (The Drum)

Imagining a beacon-filled world in Columbus, Georgia (Fast Company)

Apple, Google and the State of the Enterprise Beacon Market (Estimote)

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#2: Apple Pay ain’t.

A year ago, banks raced to adopt Apple Pay. Many retailers were boasting their acceptance. And even the US Postal Service was trying to share in the Apple’s limelight. There’s one key group that isn’t all that excited about this mobile wallet: users. iPhone users aren’t making Apple Pay a habit:

Apple Pay Declining Use (Pymnts)

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#3: Forbes does dating.

We’ve spent billions hoping to connect with others. The most recent dating darling is the app, Tinder, where users swipe left or right on the hunt for the next mate. America’s venerable business bible is hooking up with Tinder to target twenty-something professionals:

Forbes Taps Tinder To Launch ‘Under 30’ Network (MediaPost)

Forbes blends LinkedIn, Tinder formats in exclusive mobile networking community (Mobile Marketer)

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(Photo Credit: SFO)

Target, Walmart & 20 Other Companies to Watch in Mobile

3FER-archived-edition

The dog days of summer are a time when most of us check out, escape to the cabin/beach/abroad and recharge. Many of us also take time to reflect for the coming fall.

This is a good time to look at mobile. More than 40% of American companies have yet to incorporate mobile into their customer acquisition and retention efforts.

If you’re one of them, consider this your opportunity to explore mobile further.

Here are five mobile stories that you might of missed in June:

#1: Smartphones & Americans
#2: Think Behavior, Not Equipment
#3: Target’s App Accelerator
#4: Mobile the Walmart Way
#5: 20 Mobile Startups to Watch
Bonus: Mobile Email Presentation

 

 

#1: Smartphones & Americans

Pew Research is one of the few organizations who’ve tracked the impact of mobile across many areas of American society. So when they publish data on smartphone ownership trends, it’s always a must read for marketers and app developers: http://bit.ly/13dw2bC

 

#2: Think Behavior, Not Equipment

Those distracted by “new shiny thingies” often are left little from their investment in mobile. (Think of the hordes of dead apps created after executives got their first smartphone.)  Companies that start by mapping mobile to customer behaviors reap higher rewards. Here’s a great AdAge piece on how this thinking applies to mobile advertising: http://bit.ly/11ATPB8

 

#3: Target’s App Accelerator

Internal innovation is tough for most enterprise-level companies, and Target is no exception. That’s why the retailing giant struck a partnership with FastCompany’s Co.Labs to uncover app innovators. Judging from the mix of winning finalists, the effort just might prove successful: http://bit.ly/122x8ZB

 

#4: Mobile the Walmart Way

Forrester provides a great summary from the CTIA presentation of Gibu Thomas, Walmart’s Global Head of Mobile. Here’s a tasty tidbit: Walmart’s mobile-engaged shoppers spend 77% more each month and make four more trips per month: http://bit.ly/13dpB8j

 

#5: 20 Mobile Startups to Watch

Lack of resources and big barriers to entry often drives revolutions. And while the mobile innovations that we see stateside are often “cute” (think SnapChat), the real mobile revolution is happening where we least expect it. Mashable highlights 20 mobile startups worth tracking…from Africa: http://bit.ly/11AUouz

 

Bonus: Mobile Email Presentation

I spoke late last month to about two dozen nonprofit techies and communicators on mobile’s impact on email. Over 40% of all email is now viewed on mobile devices. If you’re not optimized for them, you’re losing eyeballs, conversions and subscribers. You can grab a PDF of the presentation here.